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AMHERST — As Amherst citizens cast votes on the town charter, they can expect to see a donation barrel courtesy of the Amherst Survival Center as part of its Election Day Food Drive.

The town charter election is the barrels’ third appearance since its conception in March 2017.

“[It’s been] slow because not everyone is thinking ‘I’m going to bring something from home’ but its been getting traction,” said Programs Director Tracey Levy. “Certainly, this has been an intense year, so lot of people are coming out to vote and we’re doing a better job of letting people know.”

Despite its multiple appearances, Levy said that previous drives did not yield significant results due to small voter turnout. She expects much improvement as their trucks make their pick-up runs from the voting stations tonight. Some of the donations thus far include canned food, toys, and clothes which benefits up to 6,000 people a year, according to its website.

Whether the result of the election will affect their operations, or not, Levy said it is too early to tell.

“There’s no way to know. The town meetings have been very supportive, we don’t know who is going to be voted in. But every officials in town, elected or appointed, have been pretty supportive of the work that we do here. We don’t anticipate huge changes no matter how the elections turn.”

The survival center’s next drive will be at the Amherst Post Office on May 12. Donors can leave items by their mailboxes for the post office to pick up.